Chapter 916: Noble Lords, Endless Yellow Sand (8)

Author: Feng Huo Xi Zhu Hou

Mi Fengjie, Fan Xiaochai, and Xu Beizhi. This was likely the esteem in which Li Yang’s Chen Shaobao was held by the young King. Had the second Liang-Mang War not already begun, at least General Huangfu Ping of Youzhou would probably have been included.

However, it was clear that the Left Palace Attendant was not particularly appreciative.

Traveling north, Chen Wang and Xu Beizhi barely spoke, to the point where Xu Beizhi, a charming official who could joke with anyone, eventually had to request a relay horse from an inn and rode alongside two high-ranking Fushui Bureau spies, preferring to be out of sight and out of mind.

Before Xu Beizhi departed, Xu Fengnian gave him few instructions, merely asking him to accompany Chen Wang to his hometown in Youzhou. He didn't even hint at an attempt to win Chen Wang over, telling Xu Beizhi: "No matter what this person does within Youzhou, ignore it completely." Xu Beizhi naturally understood Chen Wang's hidden connection to Beiliang and had no objection. In fact, if someone else had been in his place as an escort, they might well have done more harm than good with good intentions. The officialdom of Beiliang Province would perhaps never comprehend Xu Fengnian's subtle feelings towards Chen Wang, this Beiliang scholar. They would never know the full extent of Chen Wang's contributions to Beiliang over the past decade, nor the depth of his disappointment. Crucially, there was no right or wrong in this disappointment from either side, which was precisely what made it so devastating.

At dusk, passing a small post station called Ruyi, Chen Wang disembarked and entered the station with the quiet young eunuch. Xu Beizhi and his two companions also handed their mounts to the stableman for feeding. If nothing unforeseen happened, they would stay there for the night. Because Mi Fengjie displayed a Fushui Bureau token, the Ruyi post station was particularly attentive, arranging food and accommodation to the standard of a border army captain. For all post stations in Beiliang, spies from the Eagle and Fushui Bureaus were rare guests, but once their identity was revealed, they were usually individuals carrying important military duties and could not be neglected. According to Beiliang law, during emergencies, only a general commanding all forces within a province, or spies from the two bureaus, had the authority to temporarily requisition relay horses for military intelligence or take full control of the post station's security.

Chen Wang's hometown was still about two days away. Since Xu Beizhi didn't need to accompany the "Chen Shaobao" back home, the former Governor of Lingzhou, who was jokingly called "Beiliang's Chen Shaobao," once again brought a pot of Green Ant wine and sought out Chen Wang.

Strangely, whenever Chen Wang stayed at a post station, he chose to rest on the upper floor of the station, which, while offering a good view, was certainly not an ideal place for sleeping.

When Xu Beizhi found Chen Wang, the latter was gazing out the window at the distant scenery. It wasn't until Xu Beizhi found a simple stool and sat down that Chen Wang came back to himself, offering an apologetic smile. He then sat on the edge of the temporary wooden plank bed in the post station. The hastily prepared bedding was new and clean. It was hard to imagine that a high-ranking official, renowned throughout the court and now a central figure, would be staying in such a somewhat narrow and dim place. At this moment, Chen Wang was not a disgraced official banished to a remote, cold frontier by the imperial court.

Xu Beizhi shook the wine pot and asked with a smile, "Not drinking? If not, then I'll be enjoying this by myself again."

Chen Wang hesitated, then shook his head. "There are many banquets in the capital, but I rarely drink. With your great wisdom, I believe you can understand the reason."

Xu Beizhi chuckled, "Are you truly not back home yet?"

Chen Wang continued to shake his head. "People like me are most afraid of 'what if.' Over time, it becomes a habit. Please forgive my eccentricity."

Xu Beizhi sighed helplessly, "No wonder there's only one Chen Shaobao in Li Yang."

Chen Wang, uncharacteristically, joked, "And who is this 'Beiliang's Chen Shaobao' you speak of?"

Xu Beizhi took a sip of Green Ant wine, wiped his mouth, and said, "Even Lord Chen has heard of my name, Xu Beizhi?"

Chen Wang nodded. "I hope you don't find that a derogatory remark."

Xu Beizhi smiled, "While I don't feel extremely honored, I certainly don't feel insulted. I've only had one sip of this wine, so these aren't just drunken words, but my true feelings."

Chen Wang looked at this young man from outside Beiliang, whose life had been fraught with hardship, and softly chuckled, "You have extensive confidential files in both the Ministry of Personnel and the Ministry of Revenue; I've reviewed them multiple times... Since you call this 'home,' I'll make an exception and, influenced by your wine, share some of my own thoughts. Since Xiangfu's reign, there's been a new private custom in the capital's official circles: ranking Beiliang civilian officials. They categorize them by eight criteria, including scholarship, talent, reputation, and family background, for a 'local assessment' that the Ministry of Personnel is destined never to interfere with. And you, sir, are at the top of that list. Following closely are Deputy Military Commissioner Song Dongming, Military Commissioner Li Gongde, Liu Province Aide Chen Xiliang, Youzhou Governor Song Yan, Huang Chang, the head of Qinglu Cave Academy, and Wang Xihua, whom Yao Baifeng praised as having the talent of three governors, among others. Of course, among the top-ranked individuals now, there's also the suddenly prominent Master Bailian, but he still ranks below you."

Chen Wang paused briefly, then gazed at the descendant of the former Northern Mang Great King of the Northern Court, who was slowly sipping Green Ant wine. He spoke slowly, "Therefore, your name, sir, is far more renowned in Tai'an City than you might imagine. I once calculated that in the minor court sessions at the Yangshen Hall, the Emperor himself mentioned Beiliang civilian officials, and your name came up far more frequently than anyone else's. I even once joked with Minister of Personnel Yin Maochun that if we could have recruited you to the capital in the third year of Xiangfu, Yin Maochun could have taken half a year off from his duties at the Ministry of Personnel throughout the fourth year of Xiangfu."

Xu Beizhi used a finger to wipe a wine stain from his lips and tutted, "That Xu Fengnian is truly underhanded. The Fushui Bureau must have records of all this, yet he's never breathed a word of it to me."

Chen Wang smiled and asked, "Aren't you going to ask why I'm telling you all this?"

Xu Beizhi declared boldly, "No need to ask. I know Lord Chen isn't the type of person to act as a mere persuader. And I assume Lord Chen also knows that I, Xu Beizhi, am not one to serve three masters. Working for that Xu fellow at Qingliang Mountain, if I can become the Beiliang Province Military Commissioner in this lifetime, that will already be the last remaining hope I have in this life."

Chen Wang shook his head. "You are mistaken, sir. Both personally and officially, I, Chen Wang, truly hope you can go to Tai'an City."

Xu Beizhi, who had just picked up his wine pot, set it down again. His eyes instantly turned cold and sharp as he stared at Chen Shaobao, who was rumored to be more influential in Li Yang's official circles than the Grand Chancellor. He sneered, "Lord Chen's devotion to the nation is indeed surprising."

Chen Wang stated calmly, "In my view, even without you, Beiliang can ultimately win against Northern Mang. However, if the Li Yang imperial court gains an Xu Beizhi, who is seen as the Beiliang King's right-hand man, it could bring great stability to the Central Plains!"

Xu Beizhi's heart jolted. "Is it already that chaotic in Tai'an City?"

Chen Wang remained silent, his expression solemn.

Xu Beizhi stood up, placed the wine pot, still half-full of Green Ant, on the stool, and then turned to say, "Thank you, Lord Chen, for your words."

Some words, like the ripples from a dragonfly skimming the water, can reveal the entire vastness of the ocean.

Chen Wang's words seemed directed solely at Xu Beizhi, but they were in fact revealing the general situation in the capital, or rather, throughout the Central Plains.

How Beiliang would make its choices going forward would depend on these words, which clarified the Li Yang court's bottom line.

Chen Wang did not rise to see him off, nor did he look at Xu Beizhi's retreating back. He simply added an unrelated remark, "Please convey a message to the King of Beiliang for me: he should not have stood by indifferently back then."

Xu Beizhi stopped. "If the Fushui Bureau had intervened for that woman back then, Lord Chen would not have the chance to be sitting here today. Perhaps Lord Chen is unaware, but Zhao Gou of Li Yang had been watching that woman for twelve years. It's even highly probable that those few influential Youzhou youths were secretly instigated and lured by Zhao Gou. If the Fushui Bureau had rashly intervened, Lord Chen's identity would inevitably have been exposed. Beiliang's dilemma..."

After saying this, Xu Beizhi did not continue; anything further would have been redundant.

Chen Wang stood up, silent by the window.

Long after Xu Beizhi had left, Chen Wang continued to gaze into the distance.

He gazed at his hometown, once, twice, thrice, hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands of times.

He could no longer see her.

He could no longer see her watching him when he looked up from his studies.

Scholars are all faithless, most unfaithful to the truly devoted.

His eyes blurred with tears, his lips trembled slightly.

"I, Chen Wang, only wish I had not been named on the honor roll back then; I only wish I had returned home in obscurity that year."

At the street corner outside the Ruyi post station, there was a well with a large winch on its platform, requiring two strong young men to turn it to draw a bucket of water.

After walking out of the post station alone, the young eunuch, who served as Chen Wang's stableman, stopped upon seeing this well, which was uncommon in the Central Plains. He stared curiously at the large winch, as if this crude and rustic object was more captivating than the magnificent palaces, the flourishing imperial gardens, or the towering ancient trees older than Li Yang itself, within Tai'an City's imperial palace.

Soon after, a young man with a saber at his waist approached the well.

They were within half a zhang of each other.

The newcomer's life hung by a thread.

Even if he was Xu Fengnian.